1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a steering wheel for steering a vehicle and particularly relates to a steering wheel with finisher.
2. Related Art
Recently, there are proposed various types of steering wheels employing deformable metal core structures to secure safety of drivers in vehicle crashes and the like. Such a steering wheel employs the following configuration: When an impact load is applied to, for example, the steering wheel in a vehicle crash or the like, a rim, which forms a turning outer periphery of the steering wheel, and spokes, which connect the rim and a boss, deform to an opposite side to a driver, thereby absorbing and alleviating the impact on the driver coming into contact with the steering wheel.
In order to absorb as much impact as possible by the deformation of the rim and the spokes, the rim and the spokes which deform upon receiving the impact load are desirably configured to deform in a larger degree. Meanwhile, a configuration in which the boss and the spokes are decorated with a finisher is used in many of the steering wheels. Moreover, the finisher is configured to cover the boss and the spokes. However, the finisher is generally not configured to follow the deformation of the rim and the spokes even when the rim and the spokes deform.
To solve this problem, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-208571 proposes a steering device for a vehicle in which a steering wheel can largely deform without being hindered by a finisher when an impact load acts on the steering wheel.
In the steering device for a vehicle in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-208571, a garnish (finisher) formed in a substantially Y-shape in a top view of the steering wheel in a neutral state thereof is arranged in an outer peripheral region of a steering pad disposed at the center of the steering wheel.
On a back surface of a vertical bar portion of the garnish, more specifically, on a back surface of a bar portion which extends in a vertical direction and which branches into two in the middle of the substantially Y-shape, locking protrusions and a locking claw are formed. In the top view of the steering wheel in the neutral state thereof, a spoke arranged on a lower side is configured as having a pair of frame portions. A locking piece to which the locking claw formed on the back surface of the garnish is locked is configured to be laid between the pair of frame portions. Moreover, engagement holes to which the locking protrusions formed on the back surface of the garnish are fitted are formed on a rim side of the pair of frame portions.
When the impact load acts on the steering wheel configured as described above, since the garnish is formed in the substantially Y-shape, the garnish acts like a strut against the deformation of the rim and the spokes and hinders the deformation of the steering wheel.
In this respect, in the steering device for a vehicle in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-208571, a fragile portion arranged to extend substantially along an external shape of the steering pad is formed in the garnish. Then, when the impact load acts on the steering wheel, bending deformation about the fragile portion occurs in the garnish. The garnish is thus configured to follow the deformation of the steering wheel.
Moreover, the garnish formed in the substantially Y-shape is formed such that the width dimension in the vertical bar portion is larger than the width dimensions in oblique portions branched into two. Configuring the garnish to have a larger width dimension in the vertical bar portion facilitates the bending deformation in the fragile portion.